Top Wedding Photographers Share The Blunt, Real Tips and Truths of The Business

Lanny and Erika Mann of Two Mann Studios are wedding photographers and some of the finest of the breed. Their unique and much sought-after work is largely a documentary style, but one that transcends the prototypical look of wedding imagery. Their belief is that wedding photography needn’t be stagnant, safe, nor boring, and their work is a clear representation of the two as individuals, and a couple.

Based out of Canmore, Canada, the duo can be found dotting the globe with their travels, and recently had them in Australia, where they had a sit down with Shotkit. They divulged some brilliant insight and advice on the industry on a whole, and how and why they shoot how they do. From the technical to the abstract, there is little holding back, and fair warning their personalities are as bold, and language as colorful, as their images.

The video is done in a sort of interview style, but the 45 minutes of it is action packed with info that will likely make many of you reconsider how you do things, as the two make compelling points for even some of their more unusual habits.

Among what you’ll hear is their approach to shooting on a wedding day, what cameras and lenses they use, how they use their equipment in various scenarios, what the settings tend to be, and what their advice is for making special moments look spectacular, and the thinking behind it all.

As noted above, the two are known for their documentary style and admit that 90% of what they do on the wedding day is photojournalism rather than adhering to a set shot list. They explain they wanted to remove the notion of manufacturing or intervening with a moment, except for formal portraits. Paired with this is their idea to go in with few to no expectations. Their reasoning is simple and sensible; that if things don’t go just as planned (and they never do), they don’t get caught up in that fact, or what they are missing and how to correct, but rather just be in the moment.

This isn’t to somehow suggest they don’t put a lot of thought into what they’re doing, as that’s clearly not the case. They shoot with two Canon 5D MKIIIs and don’t shy from stressing the importance of knowing your gear inside and out, simply because it’s the mastery of the equipment to the point of muscle memory and subconscious thought that allows for the right execution at just the right moment.

Along those lines, they speak about narrowing down the gear used, and how they now shoot almost exclusively with primes. Their stable is made up of 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm primes mostly, and their reasoning is explained in detail, and very clever indeed. This and much more makes this a good watch.

A photographer and writer based in Miami, he can often be found at dog parks, and airports in London and Toronto. He is also a tremendous fan of flossing and the happiest guy around when the company’s good.

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